


Birthday (Rukia)

by tappity_tap



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 09:12:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17423042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tappity_tap/pseuds/tappity_tap
Summary: The morning of Rukia's birthday, set two years after the wedding.Part 1 of 2.





	Birthday (Rukia)

In the Abarai household, it was highly unusual for someone to be awakened by the smell of food.

Unless that someone was Renji, of course, since getting out of bed first thing in the morning seemed to be a cardinal sin in his book. Depending on the day it was either back to sleep straightaway or wait until the person next to him woke up to see if she also had an appetite for more than just breakfast. The likelihood of the latter taking place increased exponentially if that day happened to be a holiday or special occasion.

So, naturally, that was how Rukia expected her birthday to start.

Or it was how she _wanted_ it to start, if she was being entirely honest with herself. Even before they officially married and moved in together his birthday wake-up calls ranked high among his more creative affectionate endeavors, and the previous one was no exception: Fun and sexy with just the right amount of Renji brand mischief to kick off what turned out to be quite a memorable day. After two years of waiting she was very eager to experience that one in particular again, even if it did end up ruining _another_ set of good linens.

Yes, it had been two years since that sultry whisper of “ _Mornin’, birthday girl…time to unwrap your present_ ” infiltrated her sleep and her eyes opened to find a seductively reclined Renji sporting naught but his tattoos, a grin, and a pile of colorfully wrapped packages on his lap. Two years, because one year ago he had opted to let her sleep in (and go on to spend most of the day resting) while he did both their morning household chores, though this was not a drastic departure from their daily routine at the time as new parents. His actual gift was managing to convince her brother to not only take the baby for the evening but also lend them several of his personal kitchen staff so she could be treated to a more extravagant dinner than usual. Following dinner, he took her to the bath and pampered her with salts and oils that likely cost more than half his yearly salary…not something Rukia would normally be interested in, but she had to admit it was likely no mere coincidence that afterwards she experienced the best night of sleep she’d had since the baby was born.

Now that said baby had passed her first year of life and left those long tiring nights for her parents far behind, they had been able to resume the more intimate rituals of their marriage as before. Albeit with _one_ key difference; the chance of being heard (or heaven forbid, _seen_ ) was an ever-present danger that loomed over them during each and every encounter. This threat only grew as the baby herself did and they had already experienced several close calls since she mastered the art of moving herself from Point A-her room-to Point B-their room-unassisted. Thankfully art of opening fusuma in one smooth go still eluded her. For now. But through trial and error early morning was proven safest by far for romantic liaisons. She knew it, and he knew it as well. That was why the previous night she had taken extra steps to establish a method of awakening that would produce an enjoyable outcome for both of them. Mostly for her, of course, but there would definitely be some entertainment value for him as well.

So when Rukia awoke, she was puzzled to find the spot next to her not only vacant but cool to the touch, and no sign that anyone else had been in the room for some time. Before that, it had taken a moment of sifting through the layers of groggy confusion muddling her conscience to grasp why she had been roused in the first place, and that was the strong smell of cooking wafting through the air. Strong, but not _bad_ …in fact, the small pops of spices woven through the various aromas were making her stomach practically wail with hunger. It took another moment to realize the room was only half lit.

Trying her best not to stray too much from her body’s warm imprint in the futon, Rukia rummaged around under her pillow until her fingers hit hard plastic. She dragged the object-her phone-out into the open, blinking the last traces of sleep out of her eyes, and squinted at the dim screen.

06:45 AM… _way_ too early for this. Especially on her day off.

Sighing, Rukia flipped the phone closed and stuffed it back under the pillow. Maybe this was all a dream and in reality she was still asleep next to Renji? She shut her eyes tightly, hoping, _praying_ with all her might that his smiling face would be the first sight to greet her this time. But when she opened them again, nothing had changed and the bed was still just as empty as before. Disappointment congealed thick and heavy in her chest.

_Happy birthday to me…_

She sighed again, this time with her face mashed into the pillow. What _was_ Renji up to anyways? Obviously, the idiot failed to notice her carefully placed hints. And if this was all in preparation for this year’s birthday wake-up call, he had hopelessly botched the wake-up part. Unless his plan included purposefully leaving her cranky and alone in bed all day? In that case, things were certainly off to a _fantastic_ start.

Rukia let out a third, final sigh and weighed her options. To get up or to leave herself buried in the pillow until she drifted off to sleep again, that was the question now. In theory, the second choice was the more appealing one by far, however, the escalating sounds of clattering and rusting coming from somewhere on the other side of the house… _ah, the kitchen, of course_ …would quickly put a damper on that. But those other sounds mixed in, were they…?

She lifted her head and listened hard, only requiring a moment until her suspicions were confirmed. Yes…definitely a giggle or two of the youngster variety mixed in with the food preparation bustle. So the little one was up and about with him, likely not helping any when it came to the food but simply keeping him company as she was wont to do. Rukia couldn’t help smiling to herself; she adored their daughter with all her heart, but there was no denying Ichika was _Renji’s baby girl_ through and through. Nothing in the world made her happier, or made her smile wider, than being at her beloved Daddy’s side (despite Renji’s insistent belief that her favorite person was actually _Oji-sama_ , not him).

Another loud _bang!_ sounded, then an “ _Oof!_ ”, followed by an overly-cheerful, “ _Okay, kiddo, time to give Mommy her birthday surprise!_ ” and a shuffle of heavy footsteps started briskly making its way down the hall towards their room.

Birthday surprise. _Aha_. Rukia suddenly found herself feeling much, _much_ better than before. With speed backed by giddy eagerness, she arranged herself on her side, propped up on one elbow, and faced the (already slightly ajar) screen nearest to await her birthday surprise.

A moment later, Renji’s toes wiggled through the crack until it was big enough to hook his foot around the edge of the panel, however, when it finally slid open wide enough to reveal the scene she had set, he was too busy balancing a large tray loaded with steaming dishes in one hand and Ichika in the other to see it. But when the panel skittered slightly in its track it was Ichika who looked away, just briefly, and noticed Rukia observing them with rapt interest. Her little face instantly lit up and she let out a delighted gasp, bouncing slightly in Renji’s hold.

“ _Hey, hey…shhh…Mommy’s still sleepin’_ ,” Renji scolded softly as he stepped into the room. In direct defiance, Ichika wiggled around and softly smacked the lower half of his face until his head reflexively turned enough to catch sight of who had been watching the entire time. He instantly froze, eyes wide with an equal mixture of guilt and disappointment.

“Orrrr…not…ahhhh…y-you’re up?” he sputtered while Ichika happily bleated random syllables and pointed in Rukia’s direction. “Ehhh, so much for surprisin’ ‘er, huh, kiddo?”

“You’re up and about at this hour. Believe me, I’m _plenty_ surprised,“ Rukia told him while responding to Ichika’s enthusiasm with a smile

“Ha ha,” Renji responded sarcastically. He knelt on the futon and set the tray between them. Then he planted Ichika upright on her feet so she was standing mostly on her own but still held securely at his side with one hand; Inexperienced limbs had the unfortunate tendency of suddenly giving way and they had gone through more than enough tearful spills recently.

“So, Ichika…is there somethin’ ya wanna tell Mommy?” he asked excitedly once they were settled.

Instead of answering, Ichika leaned over and reached for one of the dishes on the tray. Renji hastily caught her hand and pulled it back before it could make contact. “Hey no, no, not yet…ya gotta do your part first.”

“ _Hot_ , Daddy,” she informed him seriously.

“Yeah it’s hot, I just made it. But…hey…waddaya say to Mommy? Like we practiced, remember?”

Ichika stubbornly looked away, several fingers stuck in her mouth. “Uhhh…noooo...”

Renji’s posture and eyebrows slumped in unison. “Oiiii c’mon now…you were doin’ it just fine before,” he insisted, poking her gently in the stomach until her attention had turned back to him. He lowered his voice. “With me now, ready? ‘ _Happy…Birthday…Mommy…_ ’’

“Mmm…Mommy yay!” she declared triumphantly and buried her face into Renji’s side with a laugh.

“ _Why ya little…_ ” Renji grumbled, though without any actual resentment in his tone. Instead, Ichika’s continued giggling earned her a series of growly kisses on her cheek before she was released and gently coaxed around the tray to Rukia, a feat that took about five to six tentative steps before she collapsed into Rukia’s outstretched arms with a pleased squeal.

Renji huffed and looked at Rukia apologetically as she gathered up all 17 pounds of giggly, squirming child into her embrace. “I swear…she said it not even a minute ago.”

Rukia kissed the top of Ichika’s head and smoothed down several untidy red floofs. “If you say so.”

“Ehhh…at any rate, it’s the thought that counts, right?” He huffed again, smiling this time, and leaned over the tray towards her. “Happy birthday, love.”

Smiling just as much (if not more), Rukia closed her eyes so as to properly immerse herself in his complimentary breakfast kiss and was not disappointed in the slightest. Not that she was expecting disappointment in _any_ capacity; When it came to kissing (among other things) Renji knew how to keep control and really play with her senses, smoothly transitioning from high to low and back again until she was dizzy. He made the art of kissing so easy, so _comfortable_ , while managing to bring to the table something new and exciting every time. This one, for instance, tasted of _Renji_ through and through, but mixed in with those sweet affections were savory hints of the spread he had prepared for her; in a sense, spicing up their love life had taken quite a literal turn.

But there were no complaints from her, of course…at least not while things were still in motion. It got to the point where her tongue was so enthralled by the delectable new elements that it involuntarily flicked over her lips in disappointment when he pulled away. Thankfully only a gentle nuzzle of his nose against hers separated that first kiss from the second, which led right into a third without pause.

By the fourth they were passing soft sighs back and forth through each other’s parted lips. Sighs of enjoyment, yes, but laced with the frustration of knowing if not for the toddler in her lap and the tray of food between them, she likely would have been halfway out of her clothes and unabashedly mounting one of several choice body parts.

“Ya know, I _was_ feelin’ kinda bad your birthday surprise wasn’t goin’ as planned but this enthusiasm’s sure as hell makin’ up for it,” Renji whispered with a teasing peck on the cheek, right next to her ear.

“Given how my birthday surprises usually go, _this_ is more along the lines of what I was anticipating…let me take what I can get,” she whispered back, breathless, right before his grinning mouth reunited with hers.

“Ohooo, maybe I shoulda-“

“ _Eeee? Mommy, eeee…_ ”

Rukia barely managed to tear herself away from the enjoyable distraction in time to thwart an escape attempt. “I think someone’s hungry,” she sighed reluctantly.

“Heehhh…she ain’t the only one,” Renji murmured and planted one final kiss on her forehead before they separated for good this time. “Makin’ all this food really works up an appetite, ya know.”

“Mm, I bet,” Rukia agreed. Working to keep the aspiring runaway firmly confined to her lap (Ichika fidgeted grumpily in protest), she eyed the tray as he began preparing their meals.

At the edge nearest her, three steaming bowls of rice- small, regular, and extra large-sat neatly lined up but that was the extent of any semblance of order. In a succinct visual display of his lack of presentation skills, the rest of the tray was haphazardly crammed with little dishes of soup and pickled vegetables, as well as a few condensed plates. One held a fried egg, what looked like a handful of scrambled eggs, and two loose raw eggs. Actually, one of the raw eggs was currently nestled between the plate and a bowl of natto but Rukia suspected it had started off its journey to their bedroom alongside its partner.

Another plate bore three bite-size white cakes stamped with a snowflake design that she recognized from one of the more exclusive sweet shops in the Seireitei. It was likely that Renji went in intending to get some of their cute sugar rabbits and had to settle for these once he discovered the price of one rabbit was higher than even _two_ of their cheapest cakes, which were expensive enough as it was. He would survive just fine without a sugar rabbit, of course, but things could turn catastrophic if someone _else_ found out Mommy got a sweet that she didn’t.

On the biggest plate lay three grilled strips of fish, and judging by the deliciously warm aroma they were letting off, they had just reached the _perfect_ state for consumption. Renji began by slicing one of those fish in two, tossing one half (along with another whole filet) into the largest rice bowl and chopping the other into tiny pieces.

Next, the eggs were divvied up into the rice bowls: Raw cracked directly into the largest, fried on the regular, scrambled for the smallest. A few spoonsful of natto finished off the two biggest bowls, then he placed the spoon, egg shells, and empty natto bowl on top of the empty egg plate and set the soiled stack on the floor next to the futon (she decided to let that go for today).

With the fish plate and one of two chopstick pairs in hand, enough space had been cleared that he was able to nudge the rest of the side dishes around the tray with his knuckles until each serving sat in front of the proper diner.

Finally, after scraping the tiny cut-up fish pieces off the plate and onto the tray beside the smallest bowl, he pinched a generously sized piece of the remaining uncut fish between the chopsticks and held it out to her. “Alright…open up, birthday girl. First bite’s yours.”

Charming as Rukia found the gesture in this instance, the eye roll response to Renji’s cheesier attempts at romance was automatic by now so it happened even though she eagerly opened her mouth to accept the offering. As the scent had suggested, it was deliciously hot and not too heavily seasoned, exactly how she liked it. And she made sure to chew as slowly and thoroughly as possible to draw out every last bit of enjoyable flavor.

Meanwhile, Renji sat and watched her eat without so much as a word, only breaking his silence once she swallowed. “So?”

Rukia licked her lips thoughtfully and watched the tattoos on his brow scrunch tighter together the longer she delayed her response.

“Hmm, not bad.” Smiling, she relocated Ichika from her lap to the futon between them, then plucked the plate and chopsticks from his hands so she could take the second bite herself. Naturally, that was just as tasty as the first, and before she knew it she had practically shoveled down the rest without any sense of decorum.

To his credit, Renji said nothing about her flushed face but he did grin to himself rather proudly as he mixed the contents of his bowl with his own chopsticks.

Ichika, on the other hand, was busy completely contradicting her earlier determination to get her paws on whatever was within reach as she had yet to even _approve_ of the food Renji served her, much less touch it. Yes, true to toddler form, now that permission had been granted she paid no mind to an entire array of unattended possibilities-including _cake_ -and instead sat silently staring at the flakey bits of meat placed by her bowl. Probably since they landed there.

Finally, she looked up at Renji (right as he inhaled an obnoxiously large portion of his breakfast, of course) and asked, “Dees?”

Renji shifted the mass of food in his mouth to one side and indicated with his chopsticks. “That’s _fish_ , silly. You’ve had it before.”

Frowning, Ichika picked up a chunk and mashed it between her fingers. “ _Shiss…_ ” she muttered slowly.

Renji swallowed. “Yeah, _fish_. You like fish. ‘An see, Mommy likes it, too.” He nodded at the empty plate Rukia had just set down on the tray and traded for her rice bowl.

Ichika continued squinting questioningly at her fish-covered fingers for a moment before she finally lifted them to her mouth and cautiously licked a piece. The second her tongue hit its target, a small convulsion rippled through her body and her tiny face screwed up in disgust.

“Pleh! _Yuck_!” she spat, head shaking side to side.

Renji’s face, shoulders-his entire _being_ , by the looks of it-immediately fell. “Haaah? Ya gotta be kiddin’…Daddy worked real hard on that!”

Ichika ignored this and smacked her hands over the edge of the tray, loudly chanting, “ _Yucky yuck!_ ” Her utterly devastated father could only watch, helpless, as she determinedly scraped off every last bit of fish. The food may have been prepared specifically for Rukia’s tastes, but she knew Renji took his parenting fully to heart and the notion of failing to impress his offspring (even with something as trivial as his cooking) was a massive blow to his pride. And unfortunately the punches kept right on rolling as all the other dishes faired the same.

Well… _almost_ all of them.

“At least she likes the cake,” Rukia commented as Ichika happily munched away.

“Like that counts. I just picked ‘em outta the display,” Renji sighed and surveyed the explosion of crumbs now littering their bed.

Then, quicker than either of them could react, Ichika had vacated Rukia’s side and vanished almost entirely, the only indication of her existence now a small lump in the blankets behind Renji.

“Ooooiii, where’re ya goin’? Arentcha hungry? C’mere ‘an finish your rice, at least.” Renji twisted around to address her while simultaneously tapping the rim of the abandoned bowl with his chopsticks.

“ _Noooo…yuck!_ ” came Ichika’s muffled voice from under the blanket.

Renji scoffed and made a big show of turning his back even though there was no way she could see it. “Fine…see if I letcha help out with Mommy’s birthday surprise next year,” he declared with an exaggerated flourish of his chopsticks.

The blankets wiggled and the lump wormed its way across the futon to the opposite end. Out popped one thoroughly mussed little rascal and she turned back to them, grinning widely. Combined with the strands of red both clinging to and floating around her face it gave her the appearance of some kind of wild static-y gremlin, and the impish “ _Hee hee…_ ” she let out once she had confirmed both her parents were looking certainly aided in the illusion.

“Yeah…well… _hee hee_ to you too,” Renji snorted with a shake of his head before going back to his food.

Rukia watched, fascinated, as Ichika squirmed free of the blankets and tumbled out onto the tatami mat. It took a moment for her to regain her bearings and then she was crouched with her hands and feet flat on the floor, poised and ready to raise herself into a standing position on her own. Which she did eventually, though it took a few tries to catch herself upright after pushing off. Once her goal was accomplished Ichika gave herself a pleased grin and clapped as if she were the only one present to praise her efforts, then without further ado it was off to explore the bedroom, one wobbly step at a time.

Seeing Ichika prance and poke around the most mundane of things in her daze of childish curiosity always endowed Rukia with her own sense of wonderment. Amazing, how that tiny little red-haired being was so like her and Renji in many ways, yet so _unlike_ them in many more. Looks were a given; While in the beginning there was an equal balance of features from both, she had started to resemble Rukia more and more as of late. No doubt her love for bunnies was an inherited trait, but where had the equal interest in ducks come from? And with every passing week, her slowly expanding spoken vocabulary was finding more ways to tell her parents _exactly_ what she as a separate entity thought or wanted without losing anything to translation (making them _painfully_ aware of how shoddy some of their guesswork had been when she lacked those verbal skills). Even hints of Ichika’s spiritual powers were starting to manifest far sooner than either of theirs did, though this could be chalked up to having so many captain-class Shinigami close by since birth. Since before birth, really, when it came down to it. In any case, for Rukia it was undeniable the foundations she and Renji laid were successfully ensuring this little girl-the child their union brought into existence-received the early, strong start in life they never had. And that was…well…

Something small and wet suddenly dropped down her cheek. Rukia flinched, startled, and brought her hand up to investigate. The culprit continued over her fingers and dispersed when it reached her knuckles, with another one threatening to follow not far behind. Blinking, she set her bowl down and hastily drew the back of her hand over her eyes to stem the flow.

At the _clink_ of the bowl on the tray, Renji looked up and lowered his chopsticks. “Oi…what’s up? The eggs no good? Did I cook ‘em too long? Or…make ‘em too spicy?” he asked worriedly, eyeing her tear-streaked face.

“No, the eggs are perfect, Renji.” She drew in a shaky breath and watched Ichika squat to inspect her and Renji’s lieutenant’s badges, lined up side-by-side before their folded uniforms in the corner. With a sigh and a smile, she turned back to Renji and told him, “… _everything_ is perfect.”

His reaction certainly made for an amusing sight: Blinking wide-eyed at her with oversized bowl and chopsticks in hand, bright red patches slowly overtaking both cheeks as he sheepishly stammered, “Er…w-well, not really, but…”

Rukia raised her eyebrows and glanced back at Ichika, now comfortably seated on the floor with her chubby legs sprawled in front of her and holding Renji’s badge up to her face while babbling to herself in some language of half-nonsense, half-legitimate speech that only she could understand.

His expression immediately softened and he sheepishly set his empty bowl on the tray. “Ah…yeah…”

Unable to help herself, Rukia leapt up and flung her arms about his neck

“ _Thank you, Renji_ ,” she whispered.

His arms wrapped tightly around her, at her thighs and upper back, one hand tenderly kneading into her hair. “ _Geez, Rukia…_ ” he murmured with a sigh, “ _You don’t ever hafta thank me for_ -“

Suddenly, Renji tore away and held her at arm’s length, staring in shocked surprise. His mouth was already halfway open, but before he could gather himself enough to say anything, he was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of their garden gate closing outside and a familiar voice calling out, “ _Rukia. Renji. I have arrived_.”


End file.
